Blog Tour: Daisies and Devotion by Josi S. Kilpack

Daisies and Devotion by Josi S. Kilpack

Book Description:

Timothy Mayfield is ready to marry for love, but since his personal finances are thinner than he'd like, he knows he'll also need a wife with wealth. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, Timothy's circumstances change, and he is free to pursue his "perfect woman"--one with blonde hair, blue eyes, a light laugh, arched eyebrows, elegant fingers, and a dazzling smile, among nearly twenty other characteristics.

Maryann Morrington doesn't match anything on Timothy s list except for wealth. An heiress in her own right, she is tired of men pursuing her only for her money. But at nearly twenty-two years old, and not a particularly stunning beauty, she can't be as picky as her friend Timothy is.

The two friends end up playing matchmaker for each other. Timothy will find a decent gentleman for Maryann, and Maryann will prove to Timothy that his perfect woman doesn't exist.

Until Miss Shaw comes to London.

Now, with Timothy's heart captivated by the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, Maryann must decide if she should risk her heart and reveal her true feelings for her friend, or if she should settle for someone else. It's an up-and-down game of he loves me, he loves me not, with both hearts and friendships on the line.

Rorie's Review:

I am really liking this Mayfield series. I admit, it has been awhile since I read the first one, so it took awhile for all of the particulars to come back to me and to remember who was who. 

Maryann is such a strong character, and I admired her ability to continue to be friendly with someone who had hurt her. She was very forgiving - much more than I think I would have been - but rather than becoming a doormat and letting people mistreat her, she stood up for herself when it was necessary. 

I liked Timothy, but I also wanted to smack him upside the head a few times. He was completely clueless as to how his actions and words affected people around him (namely Maryann.) His reaction to his uncle's inheritance requirements was a complete 180 from his brother Peter's reaction, so that was a fun twist on the story. 

There are times in this story where my heart just ached for Maryann. I wanted her to find happiness, but it just didn't seem to be working for her at all. I know it's a good story when I get emotionally invested in it. 

I'm kind of hoping that there will be a story for Harry. It would be interesting to see what kind of person he turns out to be.

Andrea's Review:

It has been awhile since I read the first book in the Mayfield Family Series, Promises and Primroses, and will admit to being a little lost initially with Daisies and Devotion. My confusion wasn't actually from references to things that happened in the first book (there really isn't a lot of that), it just felt somewhat familiar and I was trying to figure out why. However, it didn't take long to remember at least the basics of the first book, and honestly Daises and Devotion is such a strong story on it's own that I feel like you can read this without having read the first book and you'd be fine (but you should read both, and close together).

Picture the crazy marriage mart in London in the 1820s where all and sundry are gathered to find a match, and in most cases it is not a love match they're seeking. Many at the time married to elevate (or at least maintain) their social status, and others married for wealth. Such a selfish and loveless time. 

This setting is where we meet our main characters, Timothy Mayfield and Maryann Morrington. Timothy is looking to marry someone with money, but he does hope that his marriage will be more than meeting his financial needs. Maryann wonders if word of her fortune has gotten around-why else would she be getting so much attention from potential suitors? Sadly she lacks confidence and time after time is lifted up only to be dropped further down. After a rocky, but honest, start Timothy and Maryann develop a friendship. The story is quite the ride as we see if they are destined to just be friends or something more.

I'm already reading Daisies and Devotion a second time. It is packed full of emotion, and I love the growth the characters have throughout the novel. It is a clean read and a great addition to the Proper Romance line from Shadow Mountain.

Tarah's Review:

 I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this book...not because it wasn't well written or a good story, but because I'm not sure how I feel about some of the choices the characters made, and what happens to other characters. This isn't a love at first sight story, which is great and I highly approve of. However, my emotions were still left a little reeling, and I'm trying to figure out why. Maybe it's because I can relate to Maryann more than to the main characters in a book that are always "a diamond of the first water." And maybe that's the mark of a good book that it creates emotions that I'm not sure what to think about it, which means I have to keep thinking about it to make sense of things :)

I actually liked both Maryann and Timothy, and maybe there where some of my conflict comes in. Normally if I like both main characters I want them to get together, but this one I wasn't sure if I wanted them together, even though they were a good fit together. And that makes no sense to me at all, hence the confusion.

I am interested in who the next person in the Mayfield family will get a book. We were introduced, sort of to two characters, Harry and Timothy's sister was also mentioned. I wasn't impressed with Harry and so I don't know that I'd like a book about him, but since he was mentioned more than the sister I'm guess that's who the book will be about. Anyway, it's becoming an enjoyable series to read and reread. 

Title: Daisies and Devotion 

Author: Josi S. Kilpack
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: May 2019
ISBN: 1629725528
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book